Christmas Gift Ideas - A Vintage Digital Scrapbook

As the Holiday season approaches more and more people are looking for unique and personalized Christmas gifts to give to loved ones and friends. It is always a challenge to find a Christmas gift that will be a lasting treasure and legacy for future generations.

A vintage Christmas scrapbook is an idea for a unique Christmas gift that can easily be created by digital scrapbooking.

You could quite quickly and easily create a vintage Christmas scrapbook filled with memories of previous special holiday times to give as a Christmas gift. For example, you could use photos of previous years of Christmas family get togethers and capture these memories in a special scrapbook. This special gift could become a family heirloom, that will be treasured by future generations.

First of all collect all the photographs you would like to use and place them in folder on your desktop. This makes it easier to access them. You can take older hardcopy photographs and scan them into your computer. Look for photos that show your beautifully decorated home, family members dressed in their Christmas best, sitting down for that wonderful dinner, or that capture the joy, surprise and happiness that Christmas brings.

It will be a great to create memories of your family life to see how the children have grown and changed over the years, as well as to remember those family members who are sadly no longer with you.

You will need a photo editing program to create your digital scrapbook. If you don't have one, you can purchase software programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Digital Image Pro.

However if you have not tried digital scrapbooking before you might want to choose to download a free program from the internet such as Scrapbook Max or Scrapbook Flair
The next thing is to go onto the internet to find a Vintage Christmas digital scrapbook theme that you like. Ready made Vintage themes are very inexpensive and you can use them over and over again, and change them to make them unique very easily.

Once you have selected and downloaded your vintage Christmas scrapbook theme, you can start to create your pages.

Photographs can easily be placed into the layout, cropped or re-sized by the click of your mouse. Usually this can be done by dragging and dropping the images into the page.The vintage pages are usually soft and elegantly designed and perfectly coordinated to look beautiful with formal pictures.

You can even change the colours of the scrapbook layout very easily.If you want to be able to change the photograph colour to a sepia, to add to the vintage look you can easily find a online tutorial that tells you how to do that.

Most Christmas digital scrapbooking kits come complete with journal pages to record your holidays. Choose a layout that has 8 x 8" page size.This will make printing convenient and affordable. Just add your photos and your Christmas story Print your pages on your color printer or send them to your local office supply for printing.

By using different photograhs for each gift you can create a unique personalized gift for each person The great part is that you can have multiples made and keep one for yourself.

To perfect the gift find a classic album cover and wrap with a velvet ribbon.

Christmas Digital Scrapbook ideas with a scrapbooking tutorial you can use with a free software program

By Karina Stewart

How To Start Digital Scrapbooking In 5 Easy Steps

Digital scrapbooking is gaining in popularity rather quickly. However, to someone who is just getting started, it can seem like a daunting project to start. It doesn't have to be this way. You can start digital scrapbooking in 5 easy steps.

Step 1. Gather your gear. You'll need photo's on your computer. They can be photo's you've taken with your digital camera, photo's others have emailed you or old photo's you've scanned and imported to your computer. It doesn't matter how you got them on your computer, what's important is they are there!

Step 2. Decide which software you'll be using. There are two types of software for digital scrapbooking. Layout programs and photo editing programs. There are a host of layout programs for digital scrapbooking. Layout programs allow you to assemble and make digital scrapbook pages easily. They help you organize digital photo's, page themes and journaling. Sadly, many of these programs leave something to be desired for serioius digital scrapbooking. If you really want to try a layout program, give Pixel Magic a try.

The other type of program for digital scrapbooking is the Photo Editing software like Photoshop, Corel's Paint Shop Pro, Adobe Photoshop Elements or Microsofts Digital Image Pro. Paint Shop Pro and Adobe's Photoshop Elements are two of the most popular and easy to use Photo Editing software for digital scrapbooking. You can find online tutorials for each program if you don't already know how to use them.

Step 3. Create Your First Digital Scrapbook Page. Here is where the fun starts. You'll want to find some tutorials about laying pages out (layering), resolution count and creating your first basic page. You'll be choosing templates, photo's, embellishments, decorations and other elements for your first page. Don't get carried away, keep it simple until you get a few pages under your belt. You can then try new things and techniques.

Step 4. Store you newly created scrapbook page. There are a number of ways you can choose to store your digital scrapbook pages. You can save them as a high resolution JPG image, in the native format of the program you're using or as a low resolution JPG. Also, make sure you create proper folders on your computer for you digital scrapbook pages. Nothing is more frustrating than hunting for pages you know you created but can't find!

Step 5. Show off your pages. There are many services where you can choose to share your newly created digital scrapbook pages with friends, family and the whole Internet! You can also email them to other people, but be warned, the size of the scrapbook pages can get huge and you could fill up someones email box by sending them a huge file.

It really is this simple to get started with digital scrapbooking. There are many, many places on the web where you can get ideas for you own page. There are galleries of other scrapbookers finished pages, forums and blogs. There are no limits to the resources for a beginning scrapbooker!

By Delores Robinson

Delores Robinson is an experiences scrapbooker. She spends her time helping newcomers to scrapbooking, designing scrapbooks or working on her site DIY Scrapbook Supplies You can find advice, tips and helpful advice as well as the latest scrapbooking supplies on her site. She also has the latest and coolest digital scrapbooking supplies to make your next scrapbook project really jump out!

Using Digital Photographs in Scrapbooking Projects

Digital cameras are a wonderful invention. In the past, the quickest way to get a fast photo was by using an instant camera; but one always sacrificed quality when it came down to the print itself. Now, anyone can simply print out all their digital pictures right after they are taken, without sacrificing quality.

Try experimenting with the various options your photo editor has to offer to give select photos a unique and personal touch. Don't forget to save each edited photo in case you want to frame your creation at a later date. Correct any imperfections in your photo by using photo editing software. Adjust the quality with the editing features using sharpness, blur and despeckle. Make your image appear clearer and brighter with these features.

Put your creativity to use with the color adjustment feature. Sepia makes an interesting look for portraits. Try using sepia for pictures of flowers and landscape scenes also. This look is great for an eye-catching photo layout. Try framing them for an artistic look for your home décor.

Black and white gives photos a sophisticated look, and works great for an old-fashioned family portrait. Try grouping several black and white photos together for an interesting family-themed scrapbook layout.

Cut, crop and resize your photos if you choose. Remember to make several copies of your photos before permanently mounting them to your scrapbook pages.

Try using the different fonts available on your computer and print out fancy lettering to title each scrapbook page; put captions under each of your photos. Add a little humor to each description. You will love reading them in the years to come.

With all the fantastic digital cameras on the market and the availability of photo editing software, there is no limit to making all your scrapbooking projects special.

by: Jane Karwoski

About The Author
Jane Karwoski is publisher of the e-book, "Scrapbooking Made Easy". To sign up for a free newsletter, go to http://www.scrapbooking-made-easy.com.

Baby Scrapbooking - Because They Grow So Fast

Scrapbooking is an all-around crafting phenomenon, by no means limited to proud parents and proud grandparents. It seems that scrapbooking is attractive even to people who never considered themselves to be crafty before, it's the kind of anti-crafter's craft as well as a crafter's craft. What better inspiration to start a baby scrapbooking project? Everyone goes gaga over baby photos, right? Making a baby album is even cuter, somehow, than putting the photos into a baby photo album.

How to Make One

Thankfully for those of us with not too much crafting talent and little to no drawing ability, the industry has recognized the huge market for baby scrapbooking and has responded with an absolute wealth of supplies that lend themselves perfectly to making scrapbooks of all those new pictures of the most popular person in the family: a new baby.

Any major crafting store will have a decent selection of supplies. These stores are a good place to start collecting things to make a scrapbook, whether it's for a baby or not. Other great resources where you can find a multitude of supplies are specialty scrapbooking stores that have popped up only in the last decade in order to meet the needs of scrapbookers across the country.

Of course, there's also the internet. Many scrapbookers swear that they find more and more of their supplies on the internet each year. While your local crafting store, or even your local scrapbooking store, might have a lot of supplies, you're apt to find even more variety on the internet. If a store carries only 20 different layouts of a particular sticker line, you can be sure that on the internet you will find the other 80 layouts and many, many more lines of stickers.

Baby scrapbooking is no exception to this rule. Proud parents are having lots of fun making albums of their babies, and the internet is certainly one of their largest resources in finding the supplies that they need and want for their albums.

By Leonie Brogan

Leonie Brogan is an accomplished Author of several Romantic Novels and prize winner of Mills and Boon short stories competition 1993. Her love lies with living life to the best she can and helping others understand the world around them.

Leonie draws on her vast knowledge after turning her four sons loose on the world covering many diverse topics including relationships

Writing daily is Leonie's passion along with a never ending appetite for reading where she can devour a novel in a day if it burns her desires.

6 Time-Saving Tips for Digital Scrapbooking Enthusiasts

Digital scrapbooking can be addictive and very time consuming. Somehow, time just seems to slip away. So, I'm sharing a few of my time-saving tips to help you get the most out of your digital scrapbooking minutes.

1. Shopping tip. When you're shopping for scrapbooking embellishments, purchase a few kits at a time to save for a later date. We all have a certain style that we like, so pick some that fit your style and start a library of embellishments and papers. To get you started we have some freebies in our Free Download section, plus some from other shops.

2. Keep your photos and embellishments organized. I know, this doesn't sound like much fun, but it's well worth the thought put into it and the time invested. I've written an article on how to organize your photo, for more information I've provided the link below.

3. Focus. If you have little ones, obviously the best time to start digital scrapbooking is when they're napping or after bed. This will allow you to focus on your layout. Once you get started the creative juices will start flowing.

4. Invest in a timer. It's easy to lose track of time and the next thing you know it's midnight. Allot yourself a certain amount of time and a goal. When you're just starting out, you'll want a little extra time to allow for the learning curve. If you only have 30 minutes, don't force yourself to complete a page. There's only so much time in the day and we have to work with the time we have. When your time runs, save the work you've done and then take a few notes of the ideas you have. Now, next time you scrapbook you can pick up right where you left off.

5. Baby steps, take one step at a time. I have very little time to work on my own layouts, so I've implemented steps to create a layout. Even though I don't finish a layout in one session I have goals. I know that by completing one step per session that I'll have a completed layout by the end of the week.

a. Edit your photos.

b. Create your layout & choose a background.

c. Find/Create embellishments for your page.

d. Title your page and add the journaling.

e. Print, have it printed, email or share it online.

6. Journaling.Once you have picked your photos you can start thinking about what you'd like to journal on your page. Keep a notebook in your purse and jot down notes on your lunch break, when you're waiting for the train to pass or right before you fall asleep. I always do my best thinking before I fall asleep. You can also be proactive and keep your notebook handy to jot down things that happen, as they happen. Then you don't have to go back and try to recall that memory. Now you have everything in your handy-dandy notebook when you need it.

I hope these tips help you save time and get the most out of your digital scrapbooking minutes.

Jennifer Thompson would like to inspire and enrich your digital scrapbooking experience. Scrap! by Penelope & Simon is a place where you can find tutorials, tips & tricks, product reviews, inspiration, how-to guides and the latest news in digital scrapbooking. We're here to provide a safe and secure place where you can share your ideas, experiences, techniques and your favorite shops. Our goal is to become the #1 information source and community for all your digital scrapbooking needs.

Free Downloads

Organizing Your Photos

By Jennifer Thompson

Add Digital Scrapbooking To Your Journal

Now, instead of buying one book to keep your memories in, you can create a unique page for every memory digitally. Just use the same technology that digital scrapbooker use, such as software like Photoshop Elements® 6.0 by Adobe® and kits from shops like Scrap Girls or Computer Scrapbook. Now you can have fun while you journal and create a book, all at once.

A good time to write is at night when the house has gone silent and solitude is among you. You don't have to spend a lot of time writing, or write a lot. Just 5 to 10 sentences and you're done. You can add quotes or lyrics to your pages too. Sometimes you can't find the right words, but you know the right quote or song that can express how you're feeling.

"Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!" - Anne Frank

Start by documenting your birthday, New Years, a promotion, marriage, birth of a child, you get the idea. These are times to reflect upon ourselves and set new goals. Change and growth are inevitable; they're a sign of strength which empowers us to continue growing. By looking back at previous years you can rediscover yourself and watch yourself grow. For instance, what did you want to be when you "grow-up"? As children we look forward to growing-up. Now we are grown-up, so what do we look forward to now? Watching our children grow-up and their children? So, why not capture these memories and sharing these moments of yourself for generations to come.

It's always fun to capture the good times, but the bad times are just as important. Although, we may not want to admit it, the bad times mold us into who we are too. By reflecting on the bad times it may just help heal your soul. Remember, you don't have to share everything with everyone.

My grandmother and I have started going through some of her pictures. We have found pictures of her as a child, her mother as a child, even pictures of her grandmother. Hearing all her stories, and having faces with names, has given me a new found sense of family. I've always been close to my grandparents and am fortunate to still have them in my life. I feel that it's important to document these stories, because I know that someday she's not going to be here to tell me. The stories that she shares with me, and my own story, are ones that I want to share with my children and grandchildren.

I've inspired myself to start journaling, I hope I've inspired you too.

Jennifer Thompson would like to inspire and enrich your digital scrapbooking experience. Scrap! by Penelope & Simon is a place where you can find tutorials, tips & tricks, product reviews, inspiration, how-to guides and the latest news in digital scrapbooking. We're here to provide a safe and secure place where you can share your ideas, experiences, techniques and your favorite shops. Our goal is to become the #1 information source and community for all your digital scrapbooking needs

By Jennifer Thompson

Digital Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking has remained a popular craft thoughout many generations all over the world. The desire to preserve precious moments has urged people to collect mementos such as pictures and small souvenirs, and then arrange them in a creative manner to help reminisce about memorable times. While several scrapbookers prefer traditional methods of memory preservation by using good old paper, scissors and glue, a lot have ventured out into the hi-tech world by making digital scrapbooks.

The popularity of digital scrapbooking is growing steadily. In fact, many of the traditional scrapbooking magazines have released special issues featuring the making of scrapbooks with computers. Some hobbyists have introduced themselves into the digital art by just making parts of their scrapbooks on computers and then printing them out to attach to their normal albums. However, others have ventured into hardcore scrapbooking, i.e. making scrapbooks entirely on the computer, as it saves time and materials, plus it provides many more capabilities not available with traditional methods.

Many digital scrapbookers are photographers who use digital cameras and have their pictures stored in their computers. The beauty of their work would go to waste if they are just stored there in folders, so they came up with interesting ways to showcase their photos. Not only are digital scrapbooks quick to make, they can also easily be distributed and used as portfolios. Otherwise they can be quickly shared to just about anyone who has a computer.

Digital scrapbooking is quite simple. There are few things needed to make digital scrapbooks. First of all, you need a computer with a decent graphics card. Next, you need digital imaging software such as Adobe Photoshop. Such software is not only designed to edit pictures but also to make layouts such as scrapbooks. Obviously, you need photos. You may also use scrapbook templates such as Simply Digital, which helps beginners with design ideas. For those who want to print their work, a good quality photo printer and photo paper is needed.

With these materials, digital scrapbooking can be easy. Like traditional scrapbook making methods, it basically involves designing backgrounds, adding pictures, inserting accent designs, adding texts and titles, and so on. The good thing about digital scrapbooking is everything can be easily edited and mistakes can be easily removed.

With digital scrapbooking, you can be nostalgic without being passé. Memories can be easily preserved and cherished with digital scrapbooking.